Thomas e



Patented Apr. I8, |899.

T, E. DROHAN.

ABC LAMP.

(Application filed Aug. 8, 1898.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS E. DROHAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE SIEMENS h IIALSKE ELECTRIC COMPANY OE AMERICA, OE SAME PLACE.

ARC-LAM P.-

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 623,27 9, dated April 18, 1899. l

.Application filed August 8, 1898. Serial No. 688,044. (No model.)

To (LZ/Z whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS E. DROHAN, residing at Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvenient in Arc-Lamps, (Case No. 176,) of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in arc-lamps, and has for its object the provixo sion of means for more effectively securing the feeding of the upper carbon and for preventing the release of the carbon when a predetermined portion thereof has been consumed.

My improvement is more particularly ap.-

plicable to that class of arc-lamps wherein the upper carbon is carried in a tubular feeding device provided with a clutch which permits of the downward adjustment of the carbon within the carrier, whereby the length of the arc is maintained substantially constant.

The improvements of my invention maybe briefly described as consisting of a roller movable within an inclined slot, said roller being z 5 adapted to engage the carbon within its tubular carrier and normally hold it securely in posit-ion. A pivoted clutch-releasing device is provided on the lamp-frame, which normally engages one side of the carbon and serves to disengage the roller-clutch when the tubular carbon-carrier is released by the feedingmagnet of the lamp, the are being adjusted in the usual manner through the medium of the said carrier and the electromagnet. Vhen 3 5 the carbon has been almost entirely consumed, the clutch-releasing device, being disengaged from the carbon, swings from the path of movement ofthe roller-clutch and prevents the further downward adjustment of the carbon and carbon-carrier.

My said invention willlbe more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, whereinl Figure l is a view in elevation of a portion of an arc-lamp, the same being partially in section to illustrate the device more clearly. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the clutch-releasing device which I employ; and Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3 3 of Fig. l, illustrating the roller-clutch device. f

The same letters of reference are used to designate like parts in the different igures of the drawings.

The lam p-frame d, a small portion of which is shown in Fig. l, xedly supports the lower carbon I) and the feeding-electromagnet c. The core c of said magnet carries the tubular upper-carbon carrier d, wherein the upper carbon d is shown. A weight c is provided with a spindle, which bears upon the upper end of the carbon d and serves to press the latter downward in the carbon-carrier, wherein it loosely lits. Upon the lower end of the said carbon-carrier is mounted a block f, wherein a diagonal slot f is provided, which contains the roller-clutch g. The said roller normally engages one side of the upper carbon, the tubular carrier being diagonally cut away to permit of the said engagement, and by reason of positioning the roller in the inclined slot or way said carbon is firmly held in place by the roller.

Upon the lamp-frame a and in line with the axis of the upper carbon is pivotally mounted the clutch-releasing device 7L. (Shown in de- 75 tail in Fig. 2.) This device consists of uprights 7V, pivotally secured at their upper ends and terminating at their lower ends in horizontal arms h2, which normally extend within the path of movement of the protruding ends of roller g. The weight h3, provided upon one .side of the device, has a nose which normally engages the upper carbon, the tubular receptacle being cut away to permit of the said engagement and also the inward movement of the weight when the said carbon has been fed downwardly in its carrier past the point of engagement with the protruding nose.

The operation of the lamp will now be readily understood. Upon the lengthening ofthe arc between the upper and lower carbons the electromagnet c releases the carbon-carrier, which permits of the engagement of the ends of roller g with the arms h2, thus causing the 95 roller to rise slightly in the slot, whereby the upper carbon is fed downwardly a short distance past the roller-clutch. The carbon-carrier is immediately raised by the electromagnet, thus disengaging the roller-clutch from the releasing device and firmly seating the carbon within the carrier in its adjusted po- IOO sition. The weight c, which materially assists this adjustment, especially when the carbon has been decreased in length, follows the said carbon in its descent within the tube. After many successive adjustments it will be seen that the upper end of the carbon d will pass the protruding nose of the weight h3. Immediately this occurs the said weight swings the uprights 7L out. of line with the axis of the upper carbon, thereby withdrawing the horizontal arms 7L2 from the path of theroller-clutch. Theprotrudingnoseofthe weight 713 engages the upper end of the slot in the carbon-carrier and prevents the same from moving downward. Inasmuch as the short end ot' the upper carbon is now firmly held in position within the carrier, it is impossible 'for the said end to drop out, with the attendant danger of short-circuiting the current and otherwiseinjuring the lamp. 'heu the are has burned itself out, current will cease to How through the lamp.

The roller-clutch device of my invention although particularly adapted for the use herein described may readily be applied to various forms of arc-lamps and other analogous uses. In practice I have found it desirable to form my roller-clutch of unglaZed porcelain, which effectively grips the carbon and is not -liable to injury from sparking. Its size and weight are determined by the requirements of the lamp. The device ishighly efficient, in that it securely holds the carbon within its carrier and at the same time readily releasesit when said carrieris downwardly fed. Furthermore, the upper carbon is always held in perfect alinement with the lower one, since there is no chance of lateral movement and every adjustment is accurate and exact, eonducing to the most effective burning of the carbons.

The device is of extreme simplicity and there is little or no likelihood of its getting out of order or being impaired through continuous use. It is apparent that modifications may be made in the apparatus shown and described in my present application without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I do not wish to be understood as limiting my claims to the precise form of device herein shown and described.

I therefore claim, and desire to secure by these Letters Iatent, the following:

l. The combination, in an arc-lamp, with a carrier wherein is mounted the upper carbon thereof, of clutch mechanism associated with said carrier, comprising an inclined slotted part wherein is disposed a roller` adapted to support the carbon, the said roller having laterally-extended ends, a releasing device mounted in the lamp in position to engage the extending ends of the roller, and means for effecting the relative movement of the clutch mechanism and releasing device, whereby the adjustment of the carbon is secured, substantially as described.

. In a carbon-clutch mechanism for arclamps, the combination with a tubular carbon-carrier (l provided with an inclined slotted part f, of a roller g disposed within the slot and having its ends extending beyond the same, the said roller being adapted to engage and hold the carbon in position, a releasing device L mounted in the lamp having arms 7L2 extending within the path of the ends of roller g, and electromagnetic feeding mechanism for securing the engagement of the extended ends of the roller with the releasing device, whereby the adjustment of the upper carbon is secured, substantially as described.

3. In a carbon-clutch mechanism for arclamps, the combination with a tubular carrier d for the upper carbon, of a clutch mechanism mounted thereon comprising a slotted bloclif, the slot therein inclining beyond one wall of the carbon-carrier, a roller disposed within the slot, whose ends project therefrom, the said roller being adapted to engage the carbon and hold it in its position within the carrier, and a releasing device z having arms h2 normallyextending in a position to engage the ends of the roller, whereby the roller is released and the carbon is downwardly fed within the lamp, substantially as described.

et. The combination in an arc-lamp, with a vertically-adj usta-ble carbon-carrier actuated by the feeding-magnet, of a clutch mechanism mounted upon the said carrier, comprising a slotted part and a roller disposed within the slot, normally engaging the carbon and having its ends extending beyond the slot, a clutch-releasing device adapted to engage the extended ends of the roller and permitting the downward adjustment of the carbon within the carrier, and means for preventing the release et' the carbon after a predetermined portion thereof has been downwardly fed within the carrier, substantially as described.

5. In an electric-arc lamp, the combination with a feeding-electromagnet c, of a carboncarrier d wherein the upper carbon of the lamp is mounted, clutch mechanism associated with the said carrier,and a pivoted clutchreleasing device 7L secured upon the frame of the lamp and normally engaging the carbon, said device being adapted to swing out of the path of the clutch device when the carbon has been fed past a predetermined point in the carrier, substantially as described.

6. The combination in an electric-arc lamp, with the clutch mechanism of the upper carbon, of a pivotally-mounted clutch-releasing device 7L having arms normally adapted to engage the clutch mechanism and secure the downward adjustment of the carbon, said device being disposed in engagement with the adjusted carbon and adapted to swing out of position for engaging said clutch mechanism when a predetermined portion of the carbon has been fed, and means for securing the downward feeding ofthe earbon,substantially as described.

7. In an arc-lamp, the combination with a feeding-electromagnet, of a carbon-carrier IOC) IIO

adapted to be actuated thereby, a clutch device adapted normally to hold the. carbon securely in position, and a clutch-releasing de vice 7L pivoted to the lamp-frame, said device being provided with arms h2 norm ally adapted to actuate the clutch device and secure the i adjustment of the carbon, the said releasing device being adapted to swing out of its position of engagement with the clutch mechanism when a predetermined portion of said carbon has been fed, substantially as de scribed. n

S. In an electric-arc lamp, the combination with the feeding-magnet c, of the carbon-can rier d, the roller-clutch g adapted to support said carbon within the carrier, the pivoted clutch-releasing device 7L adapted normally to engage the carbon and release the roller-clutch when the carbon-carrier, is downwardly adjusted, substantially as described.

i). In an electrieare lamp, the combination with the feeding-electromagnet c, of a tubular carbon-carrier d, wherein the uppercarbon d of the lamp is mounted, the roller clutch g engaging the said carbon and adapted normally to secure it in its position within the carrier, a slot f' wherein the vsaid clutch is movable, and a pivoted clutch-releasing devvice 71/ mounted upon the frame of the lamp and normally engaging the carbon d', said device having arms h2 extending within the path of movement oi' the roller-clutch g, whereby the same is released and the carbon is down wardly adjusted upon the actuation of the carbon-carrier, the device 72y being further adapted to swing out of position and prevent the engagement of the roller-clutch with the arms h2, whereby the release of the carbon is prevented, substantially as described.

l0. In an are-lamp, the combination with a clutch device controlling the movement of the upper carbon,'of a clutch-releasing device 71, associated therewith, said device having an extended nose adapted alternatively to engage the carbon or support the same in its tinalpositionwithin the clutch, and extended arms 7b2 adapted to secure the release of the clutch while the carbon is engaged by said nose, substantially as described.

Il. The combination in an arc-lamp, with the clutch mechanism serving to support the upper carbon, of a clutch-releasing device 7i pivotally mounted in the lamp, said device having a part normally engaging the carbon, whereby the arms h2 are held in position to release the clutch mechanism, the device 7L being adapted to swing out of its releasing position and support the carbon in its final position within the clutch when a predetermined portion has been consumed, substan-V tially as described.

In witness whereolc I hereunto subscribe my name this 4th day ot' August, A. D. 1898.

THOMAS E. DROIIAN.

Witnesses:

GEORGE L. Ormes, A. L. LAWRENCE. 

